It’s no secret to those of you who know me that I just adore and respect teachers and librarians who are out there every day with kids–reaching out to them with just the right book or just the right conversation and changing lives. As is often said in children’s literature circles, books offer both mirrors and windows to readers. We often discover things about ourselves and/or who we want to be through reading (mirrors). We also learn about the world–other cultures, ways of life, opinions and learn to empathize with others (windows) which is more important than ever. For some, a book offers a friend and the ability to revisit that friend as needed. Yes, we write the books. but YOU put those books into the hands of kids every day. We are a TEAM.

So…to express this appreciation and love for ALL of you heroes/teachers/librarians out there, I have banded together with some author friends (HUGE THANKS to these authors for their kindness and generosity!) to offer one GIANT giveaway for one lucky winner. The winner of this giveaway will receive a signed copy of every single book below–each mailed to you in separate packages by their authors/illustrators. There are many you’ll recognize, I think 🙂 Please feel free to click on each cover to see more information about the book and its author.

2) Share to Twitter with the hashtag #MGAuthorsLoveTeachers I know–long hashtag But it will help us find your entry! Please include link, if possible!

.

Rules: ***Giveaway ends on Monday, February 20 at 11:59PM. Winner will be announced the following morning.

1) This is to show our appreciation for teachers and librarians, specifically. Therefore, the winner must have a school mailing address and be presently employed at that school.(Sorry–only US and Canadian winners this time.)

***2) We know that teachers do not always get the appreciation they deserve. (They deserve parades and serenades and major awards.) This giveaway is a reminder that WE appreciate you. Yes—we write the books, but YOU are in the trenches every day. YOU get the books into the hands of our readers. Together, we are creating life-long readers. For that…we are most grateful.

It’s no secret to those of you who know me that I just adore and respect teachers and librarians who are out there every day with kids–reaching out to them with just the right book or just the right conversation and changing lives. As is often said in children’s literature circles, books offer both mirrors and windows to readers. We often discover things about ourselves and/or who we want to be through reading (mirrors). We also learn about the world–other cultures, ways of life, opinions and learn to empathize with others (windows). For some, a book offers a friend and the ability to revisit that friend as needed. Yes, we write the books. but YOU put those books into the hands of kids every day. We are a team.

.

So…to express this appreciation and love for ALL of you heroes/teachers/librarians out there, I have banded together with some author friends (THANKS to you all for your kindness and generosity!) to offer one GIANT giveaway for one lucky winner. The winner of this giveaway will receive a signed copy of every single book below–each mailed to you in separate packages. Several are new releases, so the winner will be ahead of the game reading-wise in 2016! You may click on each cover to see more information about the book and its author.

.

Directions for entering are at the bottom.

.

So a pretty cool line-up of signed middle grade novels, huh?

Note: Ten of these books are 2016 releases. Therefore, there may be a delay in receiving a book that has not been released yet. When the author has them in hand, you will get one! Promise 🙂

2) Share to Twitter with the hashtag #MGAuthorsLoveTeachers I know–long hashtag 🙂 But it will help us find your entry! Please include link, if possible!

.

Rules: ***Giveaway ends on Saturday, February 20th at 11:59. Winner will be announced Sunday morning.

1) This is to show our appreciation for teachers and librarians, specifically. Therefore, the winner must have a school mailing address and be presently employed at that school. (Sorry–only US and Canadian winners this time.)

***2) We know that teachers do not always get the appreciation they deserve. (They deserve parades and serenades and major awards.) This giveaway is a reminder that WE appreciate you. Yes—we write the books, but YOU get the books into the hands of our readers. Together, we are creating life-long readers. For that we are most grateful.

Yesterday, was my launch party for my book, FISH IN A TREE (Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin–coming February 5th). Even though it was Super Bowl Sunday, we had a good turnout–and it was fun! I saw people I haven’t seen for years. A flurry of hugs at the doorway.

There were others on my mind though–such as Nerdy friends from across the country who I wish had been able to be there. Not just to buy a book but to celebrate a new book entering the world–and its future readers as well. That’s what we do as nerds–celebrate books and their readers! So, in honor of these people (and because I hate to see any party end) I’m going to offer a giveaway for a signed copy of FISH IN A TREE, an official FIAT Launch Party shirt, and some book swag.

But, first….some pictures. 🙂 (HUGE thanks to Greg Hunt and Liz Goulet Dubois for most of these pictures )

Getting ready 🙂

In the beginning…

Some of our FANTASTICO volunteers!

Raffle Table!

Book poster and a shot of a young man who would prove to be very good at fishing.

Also with me in spirit! My Penguin peeps: Venessa Carson, Nancy Paulsen, moi, Eileen Kreit, and Alexis Watts. (I wish Sara LaFleur were in this picture, too!) My editor and publisher, Nancy Paulsen, is phenomenal. She is the steel penny of editors–one of a kind! I am most grateful for the day she called and every day we’ve worked together since.

Thank you all for an extraordinary day! I am so, so lucky…

My heartfelt thanks to all who came to celebrate with me on Sunday. It was such a great day – I just kept thinking how very lucky I am. I am blessed. Truly blessed. And I never take any of it for granted.

~~~~~~~~~

To my online friends ~ Thank you for “visiting” my launch party 🙂

OKAY! NOW for the giveaway information 🙂

I am offering a giveaway for:

1) A signed copy of FISH IN A TREE

2) A free, full-length Skype visit.

3) A FISH IN A TREE T-shirt from the launch party

4) Some FIAT swag for a classroom.

TO ENTER:

1) Please comment on this blog post 🙂

2) Please tweet and/or retweet with hashtag #FIATbook. You must include hashtag to be entered. 🙂

Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM on Saturday, February 7th. TWO winners will be announced/notified on Sunday.

Lately, I’ve been thinking back to the “query daze.” How hard it was to put my work in front of strangers who were experts and ask them what they thought. At that time, I received some pretty tough feedback. The first query/writing sample I’d ever sent out (for a book entitled Kicking the Beehive) came back with a written response—I was thrilled, believing that a hand-written comment on a rejection means you’re on the cusp of success! The note read, “I love your title. However, you never need send me anything again.”

Ouch, right?

Thing is…I knew the book wasn’t ready. That I wasn’t ready. I sent it as a Hail Mary. A hope and a wish. My head thought I had a chance. My heart knew better.

So, I began another book. The voice popped. I believed in it. Yet, there was this other voice, too. Not demanding to be written but relentlessly tugging at me. So, I began to write that one instead. It was entitled, One for the Murphys, and was later published with Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin in 2012. The book I’d left in order to write Murphys is now under contract and due out in Fall, 2016.

Dreams come true, folks! Believe me; they do.

So, I’ve been thinking about my fellow writers in the pre-agent days. I wrote a love letter to SCBWI (Society of Children’s Writers and Illustrators) after receiving an ARC of One for the Murphys because SCBWI was so crucial in getting published.

I’ve been replaying those times with friends and critique group members I met through SCBWI who both encouraged me and kicked me in the butt–depending on what was called for that day. We were a tribe. We still are. And I am grateful to benefit from their caring, honesty, and wisdom.

And, oddly enough, I am grateful for that time of querying and waiting for the phone to ring. Knowing that 212 was the area code for New York city where many agents and publishers would call from. And hoping. Hoping that when the phone rang, it would be a 212 call. These were the days of high hopes laced with days of wondering if I should just work on something easier. Like pulling a tire through a keyhole.

However, that time taught me about grit and determination and the business of publishing. I learned what I wanted and how very much I wanted it. It was a time of feeling both alone and part of something bigger all at the same time.

My second novel, FISH IN A TREE, (avail for pre-order now ~ release is Feb 5, 2015) has many themes that remind me of my early author journey:

Grit and resilience

Having the courage to accept help

Don’t play the comparison game. Recognize both your strengths and short-comings not in terms of being better or worse but in being human with your one-of-a-kind voice.

Let your strengths shine in the first try (draft). Work on your short-comings later (in revision).

Sometimes the things that make you feel like there’s something wrong with you are actually your strengths (i.e. – never being able to follow an outline like other writers)

Having others on the journey with you makes for a richer ride and a happier person.

Yup–we’re all in this together. And we have to support each other. That’s what it’s all about. Not just writing but the whole being human thing.

So, since I am making these connections between my early writing career and FISH IN A TREE…

and bubbling over with all of this gratitude for my tribe…

and looking for a way to celebrate the release of this book…

AND knowing how much I was/am helped by others…

I’d like to try to help other writers who are longing to break into children’s publishing. So…

I am offering a giveaway where two children’s writers will be randomly chosen. The winners will be contacted with instructions re: sending me the first ten pages of their book (12 pt, double-spaced) and I will give a balanced critique and speak with the writer on the phone for 30-minutes about his/her writing sample.

To enter, you must:

.
1) Be an adult who has been actively writing fiction for children

.
2) NOT be published in any genre (as I am trying to help those who have not broken in YET)

.To earn entries, you may:

.

~~Make a comment below. Please enter your email address OR twitter name so I can contact you if you win

.~~Share this giveaway link to FB (which you must tell me about in the comments)

.~~Tweeting or Retweeting with the hashtag, #WritingAllies (This will help me find your tweets in order to enter you in the drawing. You may also tag me @Lynmullalyhunt )

.
The winners will be chosen at 11:59 PM on December 10th. Winners will be notified by the following morning and also announced here. Due to travel plans, I must receive your ten pages via e-mail within 2 days of winning and I will schedule the phone conversation within a few days after that.

.

**Thank you and good luck. I’ll leave you with a favorite quote about being a writer:

The person born with a talent they are meant to use will find their greatest happiness in using it. ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

A class set of 30 “silver dollar day/wooden nickel day” wooden nickels for your students

A class set of 30 FISH IN A TREE tattoos

A fancy FISH IN A TREE pen – because who doesn’t love a good pen?

Three signed copies of ONE FOR THE MURPHYS for your classroom library. Or I will happily personalize them if you wish.

A set of 30 Murphys bookmarks for your students

My undying gratitude for being the kind of teacher who would enter a giveaway for your class.

You earn entries by:

Tweeting this post with the hashtag #FIATbook (This way I can find your entries).

Retweeting or quoting tweets (with #FIATbook).

Sharing this to FB, but please let me know in the comments below.

Lastly, you can enter by commenting about anything you’d like below—feel free to just say hello, tell a story of a student (yourself or another) who has persevered despite obstacles, or a story of a wonderful, life-changing teacher—because there are SO many unsung heroes out there. I know it. In fact, this book is one big thank you note to you teachers out there who are saving kids every day.

A winner will be randomly chosen Thursday, November 6th at 11:59PM. *The winner MUST have a school mailing address.*

And, thank you for your interest in FISH IN A TREE. If you ever get around to reading it, I do hope you enjoy meeting Ally, Keisha, Albert, Suki, Mr. Daniels and the others…

Like this:

Great minds don’t think alike badge

Feel free to use this badge :-)

Nancy Paulsen Books (Penguin Group for Young Readers) May 10, 2012

Feel free to grab this badge for your site :-)

Celebridot! :-)

My Celebridot for International DOT DAY!!!

I have the best job ever! I'm the author of ONE FOR THE MURPHYS and FISH IN A TREE (Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin~2012, 2014) I am also the director of the annual SCBWI-NE Whispering Pines Retreat. I live with my husband, two teenagers, impetuous beagle and beagle-loathing cat.